Temperature lapse rate estimation and snowmelt runoff simulation in a high-altitude basin

As a key parameter of hydrological process modeling, the near-surface air temperature lapse rate reflects the vertical changes in air temperature characteristics in alpine basins but often lacks the support of sufficient ground observation data. This study estimated the lapse rate of the Lhasa River Basin (LRB) from the monthly air temperature dataset (2001–2015), which was derived based on good relationships between the observed air temperature at eight gauged stations and the corresponding gridded land surface temperature of MODIS. The estimated annual average air temperature lapse rate was approximately 0.62 °C/100 m. The monthly lapse rate in different years varied seasonally in the range of 0.45–0.8 °C/100 m; the maximum was in May, and the relatively low value occurred from September to January. The snow cover in the zones with relatively low altitudes showed seasonal variation, which was consistent with the air temperature variation. Permanent snow cover appeared in the area above 5000 m and expanded with increasing elevation.